UN denies heavy weapons in Korean border village

The US-led UN Command on Tuesday dismissed North Korea's allegation that the United States and South Korea brought heavy weapons to the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarised Zone separating the two Koreas.

The UN Command oversees the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. No peace treaty has been signed to replace the cease-fire. The US stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as a deterrent against the North.

The North's military said on Monday that US troops deployed heavy weapons to Panmunjom on Saturday and warned of strong military countermeasures if the weapons were not withdrawn. The North made the allegation in a protest message.

The UN command in a statement today said it continues to abide by the armistice agreement and "did not move heavy weapons into Panmunjom on June 26."

Maj Gen Lawrence L Wells, an American member of the UN command, urged North Korea to attend to talks with the command to discuss the country's allegation.

The command had proposed military talks with North Korea to discuss the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on Pyongyang, but the North rejected it. On Sunday, Pyongyang accused the US of trying to meddle in inter-Korean affairs under the name of the UN.